Candlelit vigil held in honor of murdered Pinay in NZ

Reuters

A vigil was held in honor of murdered Filipina Blessie Gotingco in Auckland.

AUCKLAND, New Zealand -- Up to 2,000 people held a candlelight vigil in Auckland on Saturday night (May 31) in honor of murdered Filipina, Blessie Gotingco, who disappeared on her way home from work last May 24.

Lighting candles and leaving flowers outside the Gotingco family home before walking to the cemetery where Blessie's body was discovered, family members carried pictures of her.

"Majority of those who send their condolences, love and prayers are people that we don't even know," said her husband Antonio.

A green lantern was lit and some people wore green ribbons, Blessie's favourite color.

Fifty-six-year-old Gotingco's body was discovered in a cemetery last May 26 not far from her family home.

Auckland police charged a man with her murder on Wednesday (May 28), New Zealand media reported.

The man accused of Blessie's murder, granted interim name suppression, will reappear before an Auckland court on June 18.